Wired for Sound

{{short description|1981 studio album by Cliff Richard}}

{{about|the Cliff Richard album|the title track|Wired for Sound (song)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}

{{Use British English|date=June 2014}}

{{italic title}}

{{Infobox album

| name = Wired for Sound

| type = studio

| artist = Cliff Richard

| cover = Wired for Sound.jpg

| alt =

| released = 14 September 1981

| recorded = {{ubl|1 May 1981 ("Daddy's Home"){{cite web |title=Cliff Richard - Daddy's Home |url=http://www.cliffrichardsongs.com/popup.php?data=DaddysHome198136_popupplus |website=www.cliffrichardsongs.com |access-date=30 September 2019}}|27 May – 9 June 1981{{cite book |first1=Peter |last1=Lewry |first2=Nigel |last2=Goodall |date=1991 |title=Cliff Richard: The Complete Recording Sessions, 1958–1990 |publisher=Blandford Press |location=London, England |isbn=978-0-71372-242-0 |pages=127–129, 156–157, 175}}}}

| studio = Gallery Studios, London

| venue = {{ubl|Hammersmith Odeon|("Daddy's Home" only)}}

| genre =

| length =

| label = EMI

| producer = {{ubl|Alan Tarney|Cliff Richard ("Daddy's Home" only)}}

| prev_title = Love Songs

| prev_year = 1981

| next_title = Now You See Me, Now You Don't

| next_year = 1982

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Wired for Sound

| type = studio

| single1 = Wired for Sound

| single1date = 17 August 1981

| single2 = Daddy's Home

| single2date = 6 November 1981

}}

}}

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}} {{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0000738888|label=Wired for Sound|access-date=2 May 2015}}

| rev2 = Smash Hits

| rev2Score = 7/10{{Cite magazine|last=Katz|first=Robin|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Smash-Hits/1981/Smash-Hits-1981-10-01.pdf|title=Albums: Cliff Richard – Wired for Sound (EMI)|magazine=Smash Hits|location=Peterborough|publisher=EMAP National Publications, Ltd.|volume=3|issue=20|page=19|date=1 October 1981|issn=0260-3004|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520174801/https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Smash-Hits/1981/Smash-Hits-1981-10-01.pdf|archivedate=2024-05-20|access-date=31 December 2024}}

| noprose = yes

}}

Wired for Sound is the 24th studio album by Cliff Richard, released in September 1981. The album peaked at number 4 in the UK album charts upon release, and spent a total of 25 weeks on the chart in 1981–82. The album was certified Platinum by the BPI, and achieved global sales of over one million.{{cite AV media |title=Wired for Sound |medium=CD liner |year=2001 |publisher=EMI Records}}{{cite magazine |title=Cliff Richard - The Six Continental Man |magazine=Billboard |date=12 February 1994 |page=72 |url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1994/BB-1994-02-12.pdf |access-date=1 January 2017}}

The title track was released as the lead single of the album, and was followed up by a cover of Shep and the Limelites 1961 US doo-wop hit, "Daddy's Home". The singles peaked at numbers 4 and 2 respectively on the UK singles chart.{{cite book |editor-first=David |editor-last=Roberts |title=British Hit Singles |publisher=Guinness World Records |location=London, England |edition=14th |page=378 |date=2001 |isbn=978-0-85112-156-7}} "Daddy's Home" was held off number 1 for four consecutive weeks by the Human League's "Don't You Want Me", but earned gold certification from the BPI for sales over half a million.{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/cliff%20richard/ |title=Cliff Richard's UK Chart positions |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=23 July 2015}}{{cite web |url=http://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards/search.aspx |title=UK certification Database |publisher=BPI |access-date=23 July 2015}} The track was recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon on 1 May 1981, for a rock 'n' roll special to be broadcast later by BBC Television.

"Broken Doll" is a cover of a Wreckless Eric single from 1980. Reportedly, Richard also wanted to record Eric's "(I'd Go The) Whole Wide World" too, but only if he could change some of the lyrics – which Eric refused. "Young Love" was given new lyrics and retitled "The Last Kiss" for a cover version by David Cassidy featuring George Michael. It was released as the lead single for Cassidy's 1985 album Romance, becoming a top ten hit in the UK and Germany.{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/14577/DAVID-CASSIDY/ |title=David Cassidy's UK Chart positions |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=4 April 2015}}{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.de/song.asp?artist=David+Cassidy&title=The+Last+Kiss&country=de |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150424150051/http://www.officialcharts.de/song.asp?artist=David+Cassidy&title=The+Last+Kiss&country=de |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 April 2015 |title=David Cassidy's Germany Chart positions |publisher=GfK Entertainment |access-date=4 April 2015}} "Once in a While" was originally recorded by Leo Sayer on his 1980 album Living in a Fantasy and released as a single in the UK and Australia.

The promotional video for the title track is one of Richard's best-known, and was filmed around the centre of Milton Keynes, the new town in Buckinghamshire that was developed after the Second World War. It features Richard walking around and on rollerskates, while listening to music on a Walkman cassette player; such devices were then newly available in the UK.{{cite book |first=Tom |last=Bromley |title=Wired for Sound: Now That's What I Call an 80s Music Childhood |publisher=Simon & Schuster |location=London, England |date=2012 |isbn=978-1-84983-393-6}}

A remastered version of the album was issued in July 2001, with the B-sides of both singles included as bonus tracks.